Friday, December 21, 2012

In honor of the failed attempt at our impending doom, I thought I would celebrate with a long overdue blog post. So... After Honduras, my life kind of kicked into overdrive. I was working two jobs, designing my first show (for which I got a nomination for our district's ACTF, which is pretty stellar), worked crew for another show, and still fought to get a 4.0 (which I failed at... I got my first C, which makes me incredibly sad, admittedly, but I also got an A in a class that was supposed to be impossible to redeem from where I was). Plus, there were friendships that had to be fit in somewhere, so all in all, I got stuck in the real world. I know that's not the best excuse, but it's true. Hopefully this will get me back in the game, no?

So... Today, instead of putting a new post, I'm going to post one I wrote a month or so ago in response to one of Hank's videos. I shared it with all my real-life Nerdfighter friends, so I thought I'd share it with you, too. Happy Apocalypse Day, guys, and congrats on survival!

To begin, you should probably watch this video (We’re All Scared, Hank Green):

Part of this is saying things he’s already said. Part of it’s my response. I’m not going to try to distinguish which is which, but so much of this stems from him. I don’t know. But I’m saying it anyway; I am going to create.

We are all creators. Beyond being artists or writers or builders or craftsmen, we are all in this insane process of creating ourselves. Rather than the idea that we find ourselves, Hank points out that we create ourselves - how we handle things, what we do, what we think, what we do about what we think. (This is not saying we choose everything; there are things about all of us we cannot control, but how we handle those things is just as much a part of the creation as the things themselves, no?) We are in this process of developing as a person. And it's not the creating that's scary. It's the fact that once you've created something, it must be shared. Obviously, you can choose not to; you can box up yourself, your ultimate creation. But- and I kind of wander away from the video for a moment- isn’t that the worst feeling in the world?

I have written for as long as I can remember. It’s part of who I am; using words to create is part of the person being created in my case, I guess. Thinking about it, I flash back to when I was something close to a freshman in high school. I was more of a writer then, really, and at the time, I was completely infatuated with poetry. I am not saying it was good poetry- it was off beat, didn’t flow well, and always followed the ABCBDEFE, etc, rhyme scheme. But it was mine. I made it.

I would always post my works on this blog I created, one that I wasn't even sure I wanted people to see. I was too nervous to put them out there where people I knew could see them, but I still needed to put them out there somewhere, even if it was in the depths of cyberspace where none (well, as it turns out, only three) would dare to look. It’s like something inside of me needed to show the world this combination of words and letters and syllables that had never all been strung together in quite the same way before simply because I was the person who was able to string them together to look just like that.

I think that’s the instinct of all creators and the instinct by which all creations are revealed; it is nothing more than that the creations need to be shared. But sometimes, people are terrified to create because they will one day want- no, need- to share that creation, and sharing a creation is utterly terrifying. And so, they take shortcuts. They decide that maybe if they don’t put in too much effort or if they create it to please their future viewers, the fear will go away. But it won’t, because they still have to reveal it. It is still theirs. Try as they might to not care about it, they do because it is tied to them just as much as the words they say or the people to whom they say them are. Except, now they are tied to a creation with which they aren’t even pleased.

But eventually, terrified, all creators- those who invested all and those who opted not to- may choose toss their art out into the void anyway. They may put it out there where people can dissect it, stomp on it, and attempt to invalidate it in every way, if they so choose. It’s inferior to another’s creation, the critics might say, or it’s too similar or, heaven forbid, too different. It is not good enough. They just don’t like it. Or maybe they do, but that’s not always what you’re thinking when you put it out for the world to see. Especially not when that creation is the one you have spent years developing, that you have put blood, sweat, and tears into. Especially not when that creation is you.

You cannot control people liking your creation. Sometimes they won’t. But the other things, well, they’re wrong. You have created something fragile and rare and beautiful, something that no scale can measure. So how can it ever be said it is not enough? And to call it inferior... Your creation is unlike anything else in the world; you have put together thoughts and ideas and likes and loves in a way no one else has ever dreamed to assemble them. To compare it to another’s creation is like comparing Beethoven to Dickens or Star Wars to Star Trek. While yes, they are two amazing things, they aren’t even in the same league or genre. There is no way to draw a comparison because they are simply too different in every way.

I will not say there is no reason to be afraid. There is every reason to be afraid, but that’s what makes it worth it. That is what creating is about. It is about going into uncharted territory; it is about taking things that thousands of others have used before but putting them together in a way that no one else can even fathom. Then it is about genuinely loving and honoring that creation by sharing it with the world because it is worth sharing. You are worth sharing. Will there be people that don’t like you? Probably. But that doesn’t mean your creation is not valuable. It does not mean that you have failed to create beauty. It just means that the other person hasn’t been able to see that yet.

Create a you that makes you happy, one that you are comfortable with. Create a you that is the you you want to be, or as Hank says, “Make the you that you feel best inside of.” Then find people that can see the beauty of that creation and delight in their creations as well. Draw them close to you; make them your friends. And never- never, never, never- forget that that creation, that you, are beautiful and rare.

Writing this, there have been two quotes floating through my head, so tie them in where you will, because they’re related:

“You’re arguing that the fragile, rare thing is beautiful simply because it is fragile and rare. But that’s a lie, and you know it.” -John Green

"Love is everything it's cracked up to be. That's why people are so cynical about it...It really is worth fighting for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don't risk everything, you risk even more." -Erica Jong (This one may not make sense, but think of it in the sense of loving your creation, I guess?

And on that note, I think I'm done. Good night! DFTBA. (And DFTCA, don't forget to create awesome.)

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

First of all, I'd like to let everyone know that there will be a third-party presidential debate tonight moderated by Larry King! This is going to be awesome. And if you're still unsure who to vote for, perhaps you will be inspired to cast a "protest vote." :P For more information about the debate, go here. Also, if you'd like to understand why some people prefer to vote for a third-party, check out this Youtube video. I think it's really important to consider every option, especially when our current mainstream media only focuses on Democrats and Republicans. As a nation, we should be exposed to every possible candidate, not just those with the most money.

Now, going away from the evil land of politics, I'd like to promote an awesome project I am a part of with a whole bunch of other nerdfighters. We're creating a quote app featuring quotes from both John and Hank Green. But compiling that many quotes is a momentous task, so we need lots of help!! Also, if you know a foreign language and feel you could translate the quotes accurately, that would also be of great help! If you'd like to join our project, join our facebook group!

Now on to this big thing that has got me worrying... NaNoWriMo!!! (National Novel Writing Month)

I signed up for it for the first time. *sigh* Last year, I considered it, but I was busy writing short stories for school and critiquing all of my classmates' stories that I felt I was too busy to do it. But this year, I am totally free to write. But, with my frustrating lack of inspiration and my obsession with so many other things, I'm wondering if I'll be able to create a story worth telling (or even if I could get words out at all). I guess I should quit over-thinking it and just outline as much as I can. Either way, the story I plan on writing is something that I'm really excited about... So hopefully it'll turn out all right.

Well, that's it for today. I hope to hear from my fellow bloggers soon. ;)
Don't forget to vote in this election! Join the quote app group! And...
DFTBA!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Hey everyone! It's Tuesday again! This time around, my post is gonna be a bit more serious.

Yesterday at the dinner table, my mother brought up something very troubling that we've been seeing on Facebook. We all know that Election Day is almost upon us and that we'll be deciding who will run this nation for the next four years. Facebook has become a battleground of political propaganda photos and ranting status updates about why the opposing side needs to fall off the face of the earth. To be honest, it's all ridiculous to me. But my mom brought up something a lot worse than these things.

"What pisses me off is how people, who've been friends for years, are now attacking each other because they are voting for different people."

She's right. I've seen friends attack one another because one supports Obama while the other supports Romney. But if you look back a few months before, they were friendly with one another.

The biggest issue here is: nothing changed in anyone simply because they are openly supporting a candidate. They are still good people who work hard, treated others with decency and respect, and enjoy the same things. They are still great students, parents, bosses, artists and workers. But now, these people belittle one another for their political opinions and think it's okay. It isn't. In any other situation, you'd be decent to one another. Political opinion should not change that.

We live in the United States of America. We have the freedom to choose. We have the right to think freely and not feel persecuted for it.

When this election is over, I suspect that many people will find they've lost friends over their political spam. Either they argued their way into losing friends, or they've annoyed those who are indifferent to politics, resulting in a loss. I feel bad for those who've put politics over friendship in such a way.

I hope we can all continue on toward Election Day with a mindfulness of how to treat those with differing opinions. Show respect. Don't get angry. Remember that their opinions didn't change them. And for crying out loud, fact check!!!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Hey everyone! It's almost Wednesday and I almost forgot to write my post for today! I decided to work my way to finishing Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 on my own since my fiancé isn't really into the game anymore. And lets just say I got a little annoyed with it. =P

Nothing has really happened this past week besides my fiancé and deciding on the possible month of our wedding. October 2013. While this is exciting, and Lord knows I've been getting ideas from Pinterest and other websites, we still have to sit down and discuss the financial side of the planning with our parents. Like most folks, our families aren't rich. So planning this will certainly come down to a lot of DIY and creativity. But hey, that makes the ceremony and reception even more personal, memorable and fun!

I hope all is well with y'all and that I'll be able to read something from you soon!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Today is basically very uneventful. Watched Midnight In Paris, which I find to be a brilliant movie and made my day to watch all the way through once more.And while watching, I remembered that I had to post on the blog today. I realize that all of you rarely post these days, and there's two possible reasons for that: 1) You're impossibly busy or 2) Your life is incredibly boring. Either way, I hope to see more of your posts. I am in the second category, so I enjoy reading posts from people who might be impossibly busy and have actual things to do every day.

Apart from the movie watching and boredom, I've been sort-of planning a mini-vacation to Disneyland with my fiancé.

I love Disneyland. My fiancé thinks that I am addicted to looking up Disney related things. I think it's healthy. I've always loved Disney, and Disneyland is one of my favorite places to visit. The problem with such a trip is how expensive the parks are year-around. Planning is tricky, and takes a lot of work. But, we do plan on going soon. And I can promise that my post following the trip will be full of photos from the trip! At least then my posts will be entertaining. :P

Today, Resident Evil 6 came out. My fiancé is obsessed with those games, so as soon as he gets home from work, we'll be playing that all night! I played Resident Evil 5 with him and I was surprisingly good at it. So, hopefully I'll do well with this game.

Well, I hope to see posts from the rest of you soon... I'd hate to discover that I'm the only one posting now... :(

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Hey everyone... Yes, today is not Tuesday, but I forgot to write my post yesterday. I've been sick since Saturday, so lots of things have slipped my mind. So, I'm writing to you on Wednesday morning while I listen to WhoHype (an amazing Doctor Who podcast!) and looking up other presidential candidates besides Obama or Romney. Research and Doctor Who... Awesome.

While I've been sick, I've simply been watching loads of TV and making jewelry. I've been going through the first season of American Horror Story. Good lord, this show... All the shows I've obsessed over have finally come back on, bringing on my love/hate relationship with Fall. I can't spend all of my life huddled on the couch or under the covers watching TV. Gosh.

I don't really have a lot to say besides: if you're a Doctor Who fan, listen to WhoHype! If you like disturbing, sexy horror, watch American Horror Story! Research who you wanna vote for if you haven't decided yet!

Monday, September 17, 2012

Hello, all! Monday once more!

First off: Shelby, That was beautiful. I feel pretty much the same way and feel that America is far to in love with testosterone and hitting things. You can't blame me for feeling like this since I grew up as the schools punching bag. My time has been spent much the same as always: Gaming and hanging out with my cousin. I did start to read the Harry Potter books over again so thats something new haha. And I went to a rock show the other day and got a shout out from the band which was really awesome XD Other than that: nothing. So I will go ahead and sign offBest wishes and DFTBA,Craig

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Today is 9/11 and I'm not the sort of person to write/talk about it. I find it hard to express my opinions on this subject. I think it's important to remember those who have been lost and those who lost loved ones, but there's a point where I have to draw the line.

I don't want to see the old news footage from that day. I don't want to see photos of the towers falling all over the Internet with the caption, "Remember 9/11." I want to remember the individuals, not the whole ordeal overall. I think many people focus on the act and get angry, forgetting that the people who are left in the wake of such an event are the ones who need to be cared for and supported on this anniversary.

Last semester, I read a novel for my contemporary literature course called The Falling Man. It's about a family after the 9/11 attacks and how the event impacted each person. The father survived the attacks, escaping one of the towers before it fell. The mother became even more disconnected from their already crumbling relationship. The son made up explanations for what had happened that day. The emotional impact of the attacks was felt nationwide, but those of us who didn't experience it firsthand can't really understand the feelings of those who did. This novel, while a difficult book to get through (I'll admit, it was slightly boring), was very insightful and helped me understand the emotional aftermath of the attacks more. But most of all, it validated my feelings about the way we remember 9/11.

Covering the Internet, television networks and newspapers with photos/footage of the towers doesn't help those who are trying to move on and live life in the long-term aftermath of the attacks. I can't imagine having lost someone, or surviving when others you knew perished... but I'd assume it can't be easy to see the footage or photos, even after all these years. Why make this anniversary (and all of them to come) more painful than it already must be?

The most amazing thing I've seen in order to remember those lost was a memorial at a local funeral park a few years back. On one empty lawn, hundreds of flags were raised, along with little notes about the person it was honoring, and the family that was left behind. Driving by, it's instills a powerful feeling of sadness and awe. There were no photos of the attacks. No videos playing on a loop. No "patriotic" songs playing. Just flags standing and flowing in the breeze. It was silent, simple, and beautiful.

If only more people could remember those lost in such a quiet, personal way... without devastating images and overly patriotic proclamations. But not many people share my feelings. Which is why I don't typically discuss 9/11...I hope all of you enjoyed your Tuesdays... DFTBAShelby W.

Monday, September 10, 2012

So I guess my every monday turned into every other monday? I haven't even been very busy and Im failing hard core haha. Not much has been going on with me. I got a new old video game: Psychonauts and started that up today. Very fun game by the way. My mom stopped over today and we got some thumb tacks so I can hang up posters and I have just been hanging out with my cousin more or less. Wow. I am really lame.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Hello everyone,
Have you guys ever tried to blog from a tablet? Well, it`s not that easy..because I`m currently attempting it and predictive text is becoming a lifesaver. Cherry flavored. But I am already thinking that this was a great investment, especially since I`m a Public Relations major and what not.
So, it`s almost the third week of school and so far things are going okay (knock on wood), I actually enjoy waking up on Mondays. How often is that said?
I sadly don`t have a lot to add today..and I know that`s been my general disposition lately, but being busy hasn't really let me allowed me to blog as much as I've wanted to, sadly.

Hopefully next time my update will be worth reading. I'm going to aim for it to be!

Have a great weekend everyone!

DFTBA

Nicole

P.S. I almost lost this post, but the autosave feature on here saved me from a lot of panicking.

Friday, August 31, 2012

So… I want to apologize in advance if this is really, really
long. I figure I’ve been gone long enough that I probably owe you guys something
near a novella, but I don’t know that I can write that much…

I’m back! I want to apologize for disappearing for… Well,
for part of July and the entire month of August. Here’s my explanation. On July
27, the first post I missed in this obnoxiously long streak, I was working a
show, packing up my entire life (moving out of the residence hall) and packing
for my first ever international trip/flight. I began when I woke up and didn’t
even sleep with the exception of two hours once I got on the plane on Saturday.
The next Friday, I was in Honduras with absolutely no internet connection. I
kind of warned you guys about that ahead of time. The next, I had just flown
home and was retrieving my friend from the airport, visiting with my family
(without ever actually going home; we stayed in a hotel), and getting ready to
return to school, which I did the next morning. The next Friday, the 17th,
I was in the middle of RA training, where we were lucky to have time to
breathe, let alone write. And finally, the 24th, I was working to
get to know my residents and have everything set up for the new semester and,
to be honest, I was beyond stressed and forgot. So… That’s kind of my rundown.

Now for something a bit more fun. J I’ve been dying to post more
about Honduras; I just haven’t been able to do so, so I’m going to now. I hope
that’s okay. If not, you can skip past
it. This trip was probably one of the most enlightening and amazing experiences
of my life, and I have already (literally) dreamt of going back. It’s
absolutely beautiful, and the culture
amazed me. I made a decision before I arrived that I was not going to post a
single Facebook status while I was on Honduran soil, and I kept it. But I did keep
a list of statuses. If you want to see them, they’re in my personal blog (link
in the left side doobly-doo). I won’t make you hear that now. Below are a small
sampling of the photos I took while I was there.

This is La Esperanza, Intibuca, Honduras. It’s where I lived
for the two weeks I was there. Isn’t it beautiful?

And these are the absolutely beautiful people I spent my
time with. I’m in the back in the green shirt. Javier (the one I went to visit)
is in tan stripes in the back right.

La Esperanza is in
the mountains. I had never seen mountains before, so my mind was completely
blown.

Overall, I could spend an entire post just telling stories,
and if you guys want to hear more about it, I definitely will, but that’s
really up to you. In modern life, I’m beyond stressed. I’m taking more credit
hours than I ever have before, I’m working two new jobs, and I never see my
friends. But on a MASSIVE positive, the director asked me during our last show
if I wanted to design costumes for the first show of the fall, so I’m doing
that, and I love it! I need to cave and just declare myself a theatre major
because that’s where I’m happiest. Yesterday, I went to take measurements, and
it was literally the happiest I’ve been all week.

Anyway, I’m going to call it quits for now because I am
going to go play my favorite board game. I look forward to getting caught up on
what’s happening with you guys! Bye!

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Happy almost end of the week everyone! I hope all of your week has gone well. I'm currently writing this from the front desk of my residence hall, because I got the job, and I kind of really like it. I mean, I get to work on homework, people watch and get paid. If that's not a score of a job for a college student than I don't know what is.

So far this week I've started my classes, and love them. Especially my MWF classes, not just because of what the cover: Oral Communication & Reporting for the Media, but because of how the professor's conduct the classes and how their teaching styles are already making themselves apparent and it's a very good thing.

Another good thing is that my personal life isn't too shabby, but I've jokingly told my friend's that my APA handbook, MLA handbook and another form of academia is going to be my boyfriend this year. I tried and failed at making that a reality last year because I actually found a real boyfriend, but I digress. Success is in the cards for this girl this year!

I think that that's about all for now guys. I hope everyone's week/end goes well. DFTBA, and may your endeavor's be fruitful!

Nicole

P.S Maybe Linnea will grace us with her presence this week. I'll bug her til she does.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Really, there's not much to report on. As a college student with an empty semester, my days are horribly boring. I plan on brushing up on some math during this free semester, as well as transferring to another school (yay!). So far, the only things that have filled my days have been drawing, reading and playing video games. Oh, and my fiance and I began watching Breaking Bad. And I am now totally obsessed with the show. *sigh*

With all this free time, my drawing has become a sort of obsession. I'm currently working on a Doctor Who fan art in honor of this week's season seven premiere (I AM SO EXCITED!). It looks pretty awesome so far!

I hope all of your semesters are great. Don't stress too much! Enjoy learning more! And for those of you not in school, I hope the rest of your year is just as great and stress-free! And to all of you: Don't forget to have fun no matter what you're doing!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

So school for Linnea and I starts next week. I'm actually quite excited, especially since my mile long to-do list has just downsized to something more of a book. So that has been great for my anxiety levels, and I've spoken to two of my professors for the semester and they have assured me that the three classes that I'm in with them are going to be great. So, by default this year shall be great too. That, ladies and Craig, is how teaching is done right.

I'm so happy that this summer is ending. I'm not even going to lie you guys. Not to be dramatic or anything, but it was probably one of the longest summers of my life. Don't get me wrong, it had it's ups and downs but the fact that the halls are filling up and friend's are returning from far away places and the Back to School aisles are returning in shops every where, makes me a very happy Nicole.
On that note, it's almost midnight here, and I need to go to bed so that I can get my sleep schedule set for next week.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Lately, Las Vegas has been home to loads of storm clouds and rain. While I love rain, I wish it would travel east to all the central-American states that are in desperate need of precipitation. However, I can't say that I'm not enjoying the rain and clouds (despite the horrid amount of humidity). My Instagram is full of cloud photos (both storm clouds and white, puffy clouds) such as this one:

But I'm not complaining at all. It's nice to have some rain in the desert...

Other than the storm clouds moving in, I have an update regarding my fiance's job. He, officially, began working last week and is really enjoying it. I'm very proud of him! <3

I'm longing to push out of this terrible rut I've been in with regards to writing. My brainstorming is coming along nicely, but I always seem to hit a snag in certain areas of the story. Quite frustrating...

Monday, August 20, 2012

Has le Magic on the brain

So I have had a fun couple of days. My mom came over yesterday and today and we chilled for a bit which is always awesome! And this is where the title comes in by the way. She was hanging out on my couch playing some Super Mario Bros Wii while I sorted my Magic the Gathering cards XD Magic has been allI have been able to think about for a while now. I am trying to get my little cousin into it and she likes it but it's not the first thing she thinks about doing. Which sucks sometimes because she is the only person I can play with save for my brother. He said he was down to play but we haven't got around to it yet haha. Thats pretty much all life has been thus far not including stressful stuff I don't really wish to go into. So I will sign off here.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Hey guys,
It's been a very long week, and I'm SO glad that it's almost over. How about you guys? I hope everyone is doing well.
Yesterday, I went with the yearbook staff at my school to the book publisher's that are doing are book and I got to see my name in several bylines and on beautifully printed paper about to be bound. It was beautiful, and I can't wait to have my own copy. :)
Last night I also finally got my new car, and my mom, being the amazing woman that she is gave me a full tank of gas because I'm currently too poor to get some on my own until next week. All I need is to get my car legal before school starts, buy a few more things for school and I'm good to go.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

We have two dogs... Teddy, who is about 5 or 6. He's an adorably timid, brown Border Collie. Next up is the overprotective, 4 year old Rottweiler/Australian Shepherd mix Bandit (I posted a picture of him during our photo week).

They're inseparable. Ever since we got Bandit, they've been buddies. It's basically a bromance. They fight like brothers. They take care of one another. It's cute.

So this morning, my mom was awoken by Bandit at 5am. He was freaking out, trying to get her attention about something. He led her to the back door and out into the backyard. Not understanding what he wanted her to see, my mom just stood out there for a while. He kept running over to the side of the yard toward one of our side gates. When she went over, she didn't see anything... All this time, Teddy isn't around. So Bandit leads my mom back into the house to the front door. Teddy normally sleeps against the front door on the rug, but he wasn't there. My mom opens the door to find nothing, but Bandit's still going nuts. He leads her back outside and to the gate. This time, she sees Teddy out in our driveway, begging to be let inside.

We have no clue how he got out, or how long he was out there, but Bandit saved the day, proving the seriousness of his bromance with Teddy. Teddy's fine, if you were wondering... he's acting like his normal self. Now I guess we're gonna have to figure out how he got out and fix that problem.

We're lucky that Bandit is as overprotective of his family as he is, otherwise he might not have known that Teddy was gone.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Hahaha We where not really good at this last week.

Still trying to sort my problems out. I am gaining ground but it still has a hopeless feeling attached to it, Ya'know? I have pretty much been listening to music and playing games. Trying to have anyway I can really XD. I have been hanging out with my little cousin of course. She is really fun and thats why I forgot my blog last monday. We just had so much fun all thought left me. I will TRY to not let it happen again.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Hello everyone, I hope that you are all having a great week. Mine has been pretty good, and today I officially moved in to my housing for the school year. Linnea is still in Honduras, having a great time I'm sure. I really miss her, but as long as she comes back in one piece than I'll be okay.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

So this week I decided to try writing a story according to Rachel's specifications in one of her posts. In the comments, we came up with the following story elements: A beach, fate and something hidden.

In the end, I never got around to writing it over the weekend, so I wrote it today... And let's just say the story went in a direction that calls for more...well...more story. I wanted to put it into the body of this post, but I kind of feel it's too long to post on our little blog. So, I'm gonna give the link to a Google Doc with the beginning of the story (I haven't went any further than the two pages that I wrote today).

While the story is pretty cliché, I still enjoyed writing it. Along with the main character, I wrote about her dog as well. Ever since my last writing class, I've found that I write animals quite well (I even got compliments from my professor and classmates about the Husky I wrote in one of my stories for class).

Well, hope you enjoy my story... and if you dislike it, that's fine too. Any helpful critique is welcome, and I am usually quite good at not being a diva when it comes to my writing. :P

See you next Tuesday!

DFTBA!

OH!

P.S. Hopefully in a few weeks my fiance and I will be exploring a ghost town with my aunt and 6 year old cousin. In Nevada, we have a lot of ghost towns, and I love photographing them. If we do end up going, I'll be sure and write a blog post about the experience and post some photographs as well!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

It's finally August! The Back to School aisle's are popping up in stores every where, the smell of new pencils and fresh erasers is thick in the air and my excitement is through the flipping roof.This whole summer has felt like a ridiculously long session of drawing and quartering and I'm so happy that the pain is finally drawing to a close.
I've got my text books, my notebooks, my pens and almost everything else necessary for school to start, but everything else will be taken care of after payday this month. The only difficult thing about this next year is the fact that I have to see my ex and his new girlfriend. While I'm happy for them and stuff I really hope that they don't start flaunting their happiness in my face or whatever. But I think that as long as I keep myself distracted and focused on school work then everything will be just fine.
Sorry for that, I needed to rant about that, but I'm bound and determined for this year to go off without a hitch.

My end of the summer song, enjoy.
Happy August to you all, also happy belated Esther Earl day!

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

I'm pretty sure this post might be late, it's definitely late for Australia anyway. So I'm sorry if it is but to be honest, I really don't know what to write about. I've been trying to figure out a lot of things lately.

I work for my dad, which is awesome, but I want more. I have this whole degree I am not using as much as I want to be. I have this head filled with creative ideas of novels I want to write or poems and short stories I want to get out there. I have plans for my future, dreams and pictures of just how I want it to be. And yet I feel so stagnant. There's so much more to life than what I am doing right now, so many bigger things that I could be tackling.

Is it weird of me to say all of this when I have practically no spare time. Between my full time job, my freelance jobs, my two sports, my gf, and my family... I really don't have time for anything else... or do I? I know this probably isn't the place for me to ponder the meaning to life, and yet here I am. By the looks of it we are all having a slightly off week. I promise a better post next week guys.

Also, I noticed no one really got into the writing idea, but I'm still going to push ahead for next week, so if anyone's still keen on it, check out my post from last week for the info :)

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

I'm not sure what I wanna write about today, so I guess I'll start with an update on the prayer request I posted last week! I think God saw our impatience when I posted my last blog... Well, the morning after I posted that request, he got a phone call around 8am. He got a job offer! He got all the necessary drug tests and his training starts on the 13th. So, I guess keep his training in your prayers? And thanks so much for sending up your prayers and good vibes! <3

Hmm...

Umm...

So, as opposed to what I said in last week's post about taking this semester off, I started looking at some courses that I could take, and I also looked into what I'll need to do to transfer to a more preferred college. Well, I missed the date to submit my transcripts, so I'll have to wait. And with regards to my Fall semester, I'm considering taking Anthropology 215. I don't really need it, but it sounds truly interesting. It's basically a course on religions and their impacts on the world and different cultures. Unfortunately, it's not being taught by my favorite professor (who I took Physical Anthropology from), but it's still an interesting subject and I love Anthropology. If I do take it, you can be certain I'll be writing a lot about my experiences in the class and some of the things I've learned!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Hello everyone! Just to clarify the title, no I was not involved in a car accident. I've just had a great day, which is surprising for this summer. Plus, I'm actually looking for a newer car, and after today it will probably be a Toyota.

Today after work my roommate and I went to a dealership so that I could test drive models of cars that my mom has helped me find at her job that I can pick from. Unfortunately, the dealership only had 2012 models, and those aren't even in my price range. But much to my surprise after telling the salesperson my situation, he understood that I'm a broke college student and he still let me drive the two cars that I wanted to, and oh my gosh did I wish for a mountain of money to fall into my lap right at that moment! But the sales guy did have a catch for his good deed. Upon walking out, I was handed a handful of his cards to give to people that are looking for a new car, and with every person that comes in and says that I recommended him, I get a little bit of money. Can you say," world's coolest job"?

So that's how one of the non-suckish days of my whole summer has gone.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend and DFTBA!

Also, next week I don't think that I'm going to do the short story challenge. I'm sorry.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

I have had a pretty rough week. I am both physically and mentally exhausted and tbh I just want to sleep lol but who needs to sleep when you have coffee, right?

So much has happened in the world this week that makes my petty little first world problems seem like nothing. So now my entire blog post complaining about my past week seems irrelevant and i just don't know what to write, which is a theme I am very accustomed to.

I am a writer. It is what i love to do. It is the one thing in my life that i am most passionate about, so why cant i do it? Am i too much of a perfectionist? All i know is that i need to write if i ever want to finish a novel and even think about being published, and by the looks of it we are all having the same problems. So i propose a challenge.

We all write a short story before our posts next week. It can be done in any style, and it can be any length, it just has to be something. And we will all write about the same things, but we are each going to add an element to the story in the comments of this post, whether it be the location, a main characters name, an item that has to be included... everyone just has to add at least one thing :)

If no one is keen on that let me know, its going to be a huge challenge for me because i have a massive week ahead of me, but i think we can do it :)

What do you guys think?

Sending love and prayers to those who are having a rough time in life at the moment, may the sun shine brighter soon :)

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Hey all... Today is Tuesday, and I've got nothing. My mind is blank.I think it's okay to mention that I don't want to write about the Aurora shooting. We've discussed it in the comments on Craig's post, and I'm sure we've kept ourselves updated with all the constant coverage of the tragedy. In the end, I don't feel it's necessary to give this shooter the satisfaction of discussing it further.

But with this opinion comes an overwhelming lack of things to write about. My life is quite boring... Waiting for the building for the thrift store my mom and I are going to run to be built means no job to keep me occupied. I've decided to take the Fall semester off in order to evaluate my transfer options, which means no hours spent picking courses to take. My writing is at a total standstill... *sigh* I wish I could come up with a creative way to motivate myself to write, but I don't have any ideas. Any of you got ideas? Have you been writing regularly, or am I not alone in my writer's block?

Along with the lack of eventfulness in my life, my fiance has been unable to get a phlebotomy job. No hospitals are hiring, and the company he externed with hasn't offered him a job (even though people are still asking to get appointments with him because he did such a good job and all the people he worked with want him to work there). If any of you could include my fiance's search for a job in your prayers, it'd be much appreciated. If you don't pray, send good vibes his way or something. :P I don't like seeing him discouraged, and he definitely deserves his dream job.

I really enjoyed seeing the music y'all listen to... It's interesting to see the differences and similarities between all of us when it comes to music genres.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Hello all.

The shooting in Aurora Colorado. This hit WAY too close to home for me, as I live in Colorado myself. I knew that none of my family was in danger but you can never really get rid of that nagging feeling. My cousin and I where hanging out that night and we both bitched about how we couldn't go see Batman. Then I got the news and my irrational side kicked in "It could have been us!" Well no, dumb ass, it couldn't. I am by no means close to Aurora save for being in the same state. But I still found myself biting my nails and trying to gather news about what happend. It is truly an awful thing that happend but I am going to be a bit of a prick on this part: Don't let this affect you wanting to see movies please. I saw people swearing up and down that they would no longer go to movie theaters and I had to bite my fist from literally shouting BS. And now I am trying to find a way to share my opinion and still be tactful and not seem like a raving idiot. We can't let bad things stop the good things. If you love movies or sports or whatever we have to keep that love! It's what makes life at least a little better. We can't let one man ruin it for all of us. And I sure as hell wont. Next month, if I have the means to do as such, I am going to take my little cousin and my brother to go see The Dark Knight Rises. I would like to say that I'm being defiant, but that isn't even it. I love movies. I love video games. I love music. I would have gone regardless. And regardless I will go.

Sorry for this depressing post. I had to get that off my chest and I still don't feel the burden lifted. I am just not agreeing with the direction humanity is going in and I am not articulate enough to put it all in words. At least right now.

I loved hearing all your music! It's so nice to hear what others listen too!

Friday, July 20, 2012

This has been a hard week... Last weekend, two girls went missing from my home town and were later found deceased... I didn't know them, but the idea of it happening at home terrifies me. My suite-mate chewed me out about my dishes (which seems mild, but there's a lot of back story). Westboro Baptist is protesting the funeral of the two girls tonight. Then this morning, we all woke up to news of the Aurora shooting... I've been nothing but angry and anxious all week (I have an anxiety disorder, which I have kept under much better control lately until this week). I'm tired of people sucking and killing and yelling. Right now is probably the most serene I've been, and that's because I put on K-Love for the first time in months. (For those not from around here, it's a Christian radio station.) I'm thanking God for being here and for giving me peace, and I sincerely hope that he can and will deliver it to those coping with these things.

On the note of K-Love, it's music week! So... I'm going to start with the first song I heard when I turned it on today... It holds a lot of good memories for me; thoughts of mission trips and youth group and people I love, and it brings me a lot of comfort.

My music, it seems, is also going to be a lot different from all of yours. I'm a Broadway and showtunes fanatic, so the rest of mine are probably going to reflect that... First, I'm a HUGE Gleek, and my favorite to sing to is a Kurt song, which I have stuck in my head almost all the time. :) I love songs about remembering; it was always my word. I have an old Army jacket on which it is pinned where one's name should go because it was my word. I also adore Kurt (and obviously Chris Colfer).

Then, of course, there's Broadway...There are two very meaningful and sentimental songs that I love very much, but when I need some happy music (and am in the right mood), I go for this one. Wicked, if you haven't heard about it, is the prequel to the Wizard of Oz. Don't read the book, but they have the entire production on YouTube if you want to see it. :)

And finally, another Glee, but for a different reason... I find ASL to be the most beautiful language in existence, and this song is absolutely beautiful. :) Last one for me.

That's all for me today. I'm going to chill with my friend Keisha and listen to some more KLove before play tonight. Have a good weekend, everyone!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Hey everyone, so life is being a bit crazy for me atm, which unfortunately means this is only going to be a short post.

One of the bands i'm loving at the moment is Walk Off The Earth, the most famous cover is Somebody That Used to Know. They have all kinds of amazing stuff though, both covers and original, and i just love the way they interpret their music and just how much the seem to love what they do. If you think you will like them check out their Little Boxes cover, I love that song!

Im going to have to leave it there for this week... tbh i really cant think of anything else to post, writers block maybe.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Hey everyone! It's Tuesday and we're discussing music, as I requested last week. Craig... your post was full of Doctor Who awesomeness, which was just so entertaining. Unfortunately, I don't have any such songs to post, but I appreciate the song about Captain Jack Harkness you posted. I recently began watching Torchwoodmainly to see Captain Jack <3.

Well, now I suppose I should start discussing my favorite music. As a quick background, I grew up surrounded by all sorts of music and was taught to give all genres a try. My parents both were in band during high school, and my mom has been singing forever. I got a talent for singing from her, which comes with an appreciation for meaningful lyrics. So, most of the songs I'll post have lyrics that really mean something in some way.

First up... some country/folk that I've fallen in love with.

Poison & Wine by The Civil Wars is tragically beautiful in so many ways. It doesn't showcase their folk style as much as their other songs (My Father's Father, Barton Hallow, 20 Year etc.), but the lyrics to this song were remarkable. Joy Williams, the woman of the duo, expressed that this song speaks of the dichotomy of love... that love is dangerous and beautiful all at the same time.

Next up, I can't pick a favorite rock song, so I'm giving a band for y'all to look up because they're brilliant. Anberlin. I've seen them twice in concert and I've never been disappointed by their performances. They aren't my favorite band, but they have a sound that is easy to get addicted to. Impossible is a great song to listen to in order to get acquainted to the band... so, enjoy! Please note, the lyrics in some of their older songs are AMAZING (I just couldn't pick a song to post in order to give an example).

So, one of my favorite animated films when I was a kid was Anastasia. Yeah, I know it isn't accurate and that it isn't Disney, but it was a remarkable film. The song that plays during the credits has remained one of my favorite songs throughout the years... But it does bring on a little sadness because I used to watch this movie all the time over at my grandma's house, and I'd never let her turn the movie off until I got to listen to this song. She passed away when I was 7...

Ever since NBC's The Voice, I've become a bigger fan of Blake Shelton. At this point, he's like country music royalty... he can definitely say the wrong things at times, but he's awesome. And while I adore Honey Bee, I think I'll have to put Who Are You When I'm Not Looking up instead. It's such a beautiful song.

I hope I didn't post too many songs. There were tons of other ones I wanted to include, but I decided against them. Can't wait to see what the rest of you enjoy listening to!

Monday, July 16, 2012

I listen to all sorts of music just as long as I find it good. Mostly rock though but

I go from Emo rock like

To popish i guess like

just because I am awesome DOCTOR FREAKING NOISE!

I do all that I can to listen to what I can. There is also another example of my music tastes but there are no videos of it on youtube :( It's my uncle's band and they are pretty good. It's a bit country/humor/rock ish. not sure how to designate it to be honest.

It was good seeing and reading about the pictures you all posted. You all have such fantastic lives XD

Saturday, July 14, 2012

I am really sorry I did not post on Monday like I was supposed to. Some lord I am eh? I am going threw a bit of a rough patch right now and I hope it doesn't affect the blog too much :(

Okay so this will be weird but: I don't really have any pictures on my computer. None of me without other people who would prefer to not be made public. I have a picture of me bald but I really don't think Y'all would want to see this daft old mug. Least of all this daft old mug bald hahaha. And my phone is too crappy for any good landscape shots. IDEA! Just picture a Magic the Gathering Deck, a hot guy playing Magic and a backdrop of mountains (and for the record I am to be the hot guy). Cool picture right!? But thats what I like to do. Play Magic the Gathering and video games and I live in a place where the rocky mountains are in the back ground. Those old mountains are so cool. On a clear day you can make out the crags and pathways even though I am so far away from them. It's really beautiful and I wish y'all could see them like I do. Or even just see them. I know that y'all would love such beauty. The funny thing is I just can't stand this place anymore. And not even those mountains can change my mind. Though, I am sure, that if I left all I would be able to think about is back here and that breaks my heart. Oh gosh this turned Emo. I will stop it there.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Looking at your guys' posts makes me so insanely happy. Rachel, I am ridiculously jealous of your John Green encounter, and Shelby, you have some awesome photography skills. Nicole, you were right; I do love the quotes. :)

I'm afraid I'm going to end up with a couple more pictures than I'm supposed to have, but that's only because I feel bad for leaving out my best friend. Haha. (I had my pictures more-or-less picked out, but I realized that my closest friend wasn't in any of them, while almost all of my other friends were.) Most of my pictures are also of groups of people. My family and friends are a HUGE part of my life, so when I was picking pictures, they just kind fell into place.

I guess to start... This is me. I've had long hair for most of my life (aside from one really bad haircut in fifth grade), so the bob was a total shock to my system in the best way possible. I've only had it for about a week, but I really, really like it so far. Hopefully my longer hair will be in a pic or two so you can see the difference. :)

These are the people that have been with me through it all (friend-wise, at least). I'm on the far left, then Jordie, Lindz, and Kay. This is the photo I almost didn't put in, but it's worth it to me because they've been part of my life for practically forever. I've known Jordan since I was eight, Lindsay since I was ten, and Kayla since I was six... They were literally my childhood (along with playing outside, horses, and Harry Potter. ;D). I love them. During graduation, we walked in pairs, so Lindsay (my best friend) and I walked together; so did Kayla and Jordan.

This grabs a few other close friends into the mix, but I think there's a more interesting story together. This night was the end of my childhood (only half-joking). We were cosplaying and headed to the premier of the final installment of the Harry Potter films... It was also two months after graduation and only a month before we all started university... That night kind of marked the end of the way things had always been... I still love every single one of them, and we're all still close, but we're not together like we used to be. I miss it. But it was one heck of a way to end it, right? :) I'm the one in the red wig (Tonks).

But as time goes on and I've moved to school, I've made some new friends. All three of these people are dear to me, but two of them are much closer. That night, Javier was leaving to go home (in Central America), so we stayed up all night long with him and we made a giant fort by hanging sheets from the ceiling. We used all of the furniture from the second and third floors to build a nice infrastructure. Then we played Catan inside and took it down. It was so much fun.

On the note of fun, this night is definitely high up there. Our residence hall hosted a charity haunted house, and as soon as we tore it down, we all went to IHOP, some still in costume. I'm somewhere in the back (sitting next to Nicole). I finally got to be a creepy clown, which had been a wish of mine for about two years. I hate being scared, but scaring people is a BLAST! The clown in the very front and I did a bit of a skit-scare type thing. We were the last door before the exit, so before anyone went out, she would turn the "handle" on our dilapidated, cardboard jack-in-the-box, singing, "Pop Goes the Weasel," very slowly... I actually followed the group in quietly, and on the title line, I would get inches away from the least-expecting person's face and shout-sing it in their ear. Totally cracked me up. The other clown in the room was blocking the door as you came in, offering "eyeballs." And you were also followed in by a German-sounding pianist. We were pretty legit. ;)

To close, I got a message on day saying, "I can't explain why, but when I saw this, I just instantly thought of you." So... Just so you know, I am apparently a blue unicorn that barfs rainbows. :)

But anywho, I think that's all I have... This was a fun memory tool, and I really loved learning more about you guys! I'm looking forward to seeing whatever it is we write next week. :) See you tomorrow, Craig!

Craig's make-up day just reminded me... I will not be able to post on August 3. In an ideal world, I will pre-write a blog before I leave (I'm going out of the country and probably won't be online much), so one of you, if you are willing, can post it for me, but if I don't get that done, I just wanted to give you a heads up! Now, I am finally done with this uber-long blog post, so I shall finally let you be. Happy weekend, everyone!